The International Women’s Day has its origins in the international socialist women’s movement of the late nineteenth century, which “was intended solely to promote the struggle for voting rights for women, without any restriction on the level of wealth, property or education. ”

Definitely established as International Women’s Day, what is now commemorated every March 8 was also born as the International Day of Working Women to commemorate the struggle of women for their participation on an equal footing with man-o rather the man-in society and their full development as a person.

Industrial Revolution arose in the middle of the day was associated at first with the labor movement and then, even world-peace deal with the advent of the First World War and international solidarity between women.

The anti-war aspect had already been reflected in the struggle waged in ancient Greece by Lysistrata, who initiated a sexual strike against men to end the war.Then she saw her reflection in the French Revolution, when the Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage also. It was not until the early twentieth century when they began to proclaim, from different international space left, holding a specific period of struggle for women and their rights.

Peace and equality

In the context of movements for peace that emerged on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day last Sunday in February 1913. In the rest of Europe, women held rallies around 8 March of next year to protest the war or to express solidarity with other women.

In 1917, in response to the 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February to strike in demand for “bread and peace”. Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.

The claim now

Today, nearly a century after it won the right to vote, women’s movements not only continue their struggle with this first step towards equal citizenship of women relative to men in a dominant patriarchal society, but have added new targets .

Violence against women manifested in myriad forms is one of the main issues that the feminist movement today is responsible for disseminating a dent in public opinion and government bodies must ensure the protection of all citizens.

Each and every one

Also, the feminist struggle now includes lesbians and bisexuals, transgender women, sex workers and largely advocates a departure from fundamentalist religions (including Catholic, especially the Catholic) public policy, as decider component to ensuring their legitimate rights.

Throughout the Western world, the Christian religions are opposed to the recognition of the equality of women and sexual minorities. This reactionary stance is one that leads to eternal conflicts today on the right to free decision on the termination of pregnancies, an issue with strong arguments that should not be taken lightly-or recognition as women to female transsexuals.

So, too, several movements have recently taken the initiative of apostasy, a collective resignation and request to Catholicism to be erased from their records of baptism and the Church speaks prevent and intervene on behalf of them.

The current struggle is also reverse the femicide and the systematic practice of physical and verbal violence, abductions and trafficking. Year after year thousands of women die worldwide victims of brutal beatings within their homes or in areas of imprisonment imposed by force. In the past those that run “better luck” are those that maintain life but are forced to provide sexual services against their will.Absolutely all have been deprived of their liberty unlawfully removed from their families by erasing all traces of their existence.

In Muslim countries is even worse submission. Women are little more than objects that serve only to decorate the homes based on the macho culture of paternalism. Even Latin American indigenous cultures have been tainted with the customs post colonial and today, in those societies that have traditionally yielded respect for women, there was a significant increase in violence against them.

In the struggle for equality of sexual diversity

It is also fair to remember that the movements for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) have been supported in their struggle for feminist peers.

One of the closest and most recent example is Cuba, where the women’s movement led by Vilma Espin, sister-and mother of Fidel Castro Mariela Castro, head of the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), daughter of current president.

The feminist movement took up the cause as a homosexual and was largely authored many of the achievements in the island for the rights of sexual diversity and a government initially averse to sexual minorities, including the decriminalization of homosexuality and the recognition of gender identity for transsexuals.

It is fair to say that, at a time when we are waiting for the National Congress approves the so-called gay marriage, the effective fight for the opening of this civil institution for same-sex couples (gay or lesbian) was initiated by two courageous women Claudia Castro and Maria Rachid. Both militant feminists and lesbians who were eager to put the body and face an amparo, which today is multipilca dozens across the country-so that justice should decide that any and all citizens have equal rights to form a family with the subsequent recognition of the state.

The initiative of Mary and Claudia are translated into today’s two gay couples already married, and with all the legal scope that entails-and the debate, both in the Supreme Court and in Congress to amend the legislation so that the civil marriage is no longer a right for heterosexual couples only.

“Celebration, commemoration or constant struggle?

Faced with all these arguments is good to stop and think whether on 8 March, then, is a day for celebration or reflection. Everything seems to indicate the latter.

Although there was nothing wrong with the courage to congratulate them along have long been known, the really important part of all who are women is not to say that we are with them in their struggle, we joined their cause as they have done with ours and that, fundamentally, to engage “each in his place-to build and realize a more dignified, more equal and fairer for all.